Reverse discriminatory policy that affect People Living with Disabilities, Provide necessary equipment to fly them on airplane, Refund Freky, and apologize to Freky Andrew-Essien

On Monday June 1st 2015, Africa World Airlines said to Freky Andrew-Essien that 'We don't fly wheelchair passengers, we are sorry, but it is company policy'. Freky as she is fondly called is the founder of FAECARE a nonprofit organization that plans and implements programs that provides basic support services in education, health, and psychological development to vulnerable communities. She has overcome limitations to be a development champion.

People With Disability like Freky are often limited to live up to their full potential because of discriminating policies like this. Many of them in the past have no voice, if we all keep quiet on this issue, many more people like Freky will be affected.

We are calling on this airline and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority - Ministry of Transport to Reverse discriminatory policy that affect People Living with Disabilities (PWD), Provide necessary equipment to fly them on airplane, Refund Freky, and apologize to Freky Andrew-Essien.

Here is a story from Freky:

My story is quite simple- I live in portharcourt Nigeria and have an internship at an organisation in the Nothern province of Ghana. The route via air is Port harcourt - Lagos ; Lagos - Accra and Accra to Tamale. Flights were booked and on getting to the domestic airport in accra I presented my ticket but was called aside by the airline official and told that the airline didn't fly wheelchair bound passengers because they don't have facilities to board me...lifts and all. I told them it wouldn't be a problem as I have experienced the general lack of facilities when it comes to PWDs(Persons with disability) but that I was ready to work with them as I have always done when faced with these situations, with them. And the next thing they said was that sorry, but it's a policy...and added that if I could walk with a cane or something, they'd try. I asked for a refund so I could try booking another flight and they said i'd have to do that in their lagos office. Anyway, I did approach the other 2 airlines Antrak Air (which I have used before) and Starbow Airlines, they also said "sorry" and mentioned policy. Bottom line no flight and thus a 10 hour trip by road. How is this Right?

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PWD Support and Advocacy Group needs your help with “AfricaWorldAirlines: Reverse discriminatory policy that affect People Living with Disabilities, Provide necessary equipment to fly them on airplane, Refund Freky, and apologize to Freky Andrew-Essien”. Join PWD Support and Advocacy Group and 1,072 supporters today.